9/19/2013

Open-Carry in Starbucks? You're doing it wrong

Attempting to turn Starbucks into some sort of pro-gun corporate hero was unfounded. I, like so many others, was willingly duped into thinking that Starbucks had a welcoming open-carry policy, by all the "Guns and Coffee" schwag I saw around. But that turned out not to be the case. As it turns out, Starbucks had a "look the other way" policy, and now that is over.
Interestingly, when I question myself, I've never been a fan of corporations giving their oppinions on unrelated issues. When certain Atlanta based chicken joint, took a stand on the Boy Scouts and gay rights, I thought it inappropriate. So how hypocritical was it of me to promote the Starbucks "appreciation days", because I believed that it had something to do with their corporate gun policy.

Yesterday they announce that they are going to take a stand (albeit a weak one) and "prefer" that customers not come into Starbucks while toting a gun. First, we must remeber that in most states, when a business requests that people (who legally carry) not carry on their property, there is no law requiring a person to abide. Therefore, I understand that we can still carry concealed inside a Starbucks and any other coffee shop that is not on federal land. If you're upset that open carry is now being frowned upon, relax, we here at ArmedCandy always frowned upon open-carry. Gun carrying is not about activism, it's about safety.

So, what can we learn from this? Well for one thing, why were gun owners strapping rifles on their backs just to go get a crappy cup of expensive coffee? I'm sure it was not for their personal protection. Making such a grand gesture inevitably drew the attention of the anti-gun people, who countered it, by avoiding the coffee pervyor on, especially on "appreciation days". Have you put it all together yet? While open-carrying folks were in Starbucks on those days, anti-gun folks were not! Starbucks simply did the math and realized that there was more money in taking a stand, than continuing with the status quo. Want the bottom line? Any pro-gun or Second Amendment defender who thinks that they will make a difference with boycotts and "voting with my wallet" are sadly mistaken.

Could this mean that the statistics about American gun owners are wrong and we are not the majority?
If that were the case, would you change your behavior? Activism?